Kellyanne Conway on being caught breaking the law: 'Blah, blah, blah'

On Wednesday, top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway brushed off reporters who pointed out that she violated federal law with her recent attacks on former Vice President Joe Biden, who is a presidential candidate.

“Blah, blah, blah,” Conway replied.

“If you’re trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it’s not going to work,” Conway said, adding, “Let me know when the jail sentence starts.”

In 2018, the Office of Special Counsel determined that Conway violated the Hatch Act by advocating “for and against candidates in the December 2017 Alabama special elections for the United States Senate.”

The office noted then that “The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from using their official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the outcome of an election.”

Conway’s dismissive stance highlights the Trump team’s cavalier approach to upholding the law, which echoes that of Trump himself.

Lynne Patton, who Trump put in charge of Housing and Urban Development operations in New York and New Jersey after she organized his son’s wedding, has bragged about breaking the law in a Twitter post.

“Just retweeted this amazing tweet from both of my Twitter accounts–professional and personal. It may be a Hatch Act violation. It may not be. Either way, I honestly don’t care anymore,” she wrote on May 22.

In November 2018, six Trump officials were cited by the Office of Special Counsel for also violating the Hatch Act. In one instance, deputy press secretary Raj Shah used his government account to promote propaganda from the Republican National Committee.

Lawbreaking is the norm in the Trump administration and the default response is shamelessness. They enjoy breaking the law and are open about doing so.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.